Methods of Applying Coating Compositions

ABSTRACT

Coating compositions and methods of applying them.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.09/634,515, filed Aug. 8, 2000, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 08/942,524, filed Oct. 2, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No.6,127,471, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.08/477,558, filed Jun. 7, 1995, now abandoned. Each of theseapplications is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention addresses the current problems by providing a compositionthat is easy to apply and remove. The composition is a liquid plasticcoating that dries upon application into a thin film. The compositioncomprises as its principal constituents, water, pigmented dispersion,solvent, opacifiers, and glycol monomers and polymers. The preferredembodiment comprises about 45 to 50% by weight water, about 8 to 15% byweight resin, about 10 to 25% by weight pigmented dispersion, about 15to 25% by weight opacifier such as titanium dioxide, about 1 to 5% byweight polypropylene glycol and about 3 to 6% by weight solvent such aspropylene glycol.

The composition of the present invention provides a uniform, coloredfilm on both flexible and rigid substrates. In its presently preferreduse, the composition is applied as a thin film to glass, plastic orsimilar transparent substrate. It is permitted to air dry to form a filmwhich usually occurs within about 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending onambient conditions.

Thin film means a pigment dispersed in semi-opaque or opaque layers.These films can also be used to coat surfaces of all types. For example,the composition may be applied to flat surfaces such as glass or plasticsheets, or irregular surfaces such as rocks. The composition is alsoresistant to rain by may be removed easily by a wet cloth.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention comprises 6 basic ingredients:

(1) Water; (4) Opacifier; (2) Resin; (5) Solvent; and (3) Pigmenteddispersion; (6) Coating agent.The resin component comprises about 8 to 15% by weight of thecomposition. The preferred resin is a low weight acrylic/latex baseresin. The preferred resin is WWA-99 from Wonder Works of America inBrooklyn, N.Y.

The pigmented dispersion component comprises about 10 to 25% by weightof the composition. This component is present as a dispersion, and isnot added as a dry powder, to aid in miscibility. Additionally, sincethe pigmented dispersions are added as a dispersion, the pigmenteddispersion solvent package must be compatible with the aqueous basepackage comprising the remainder of the solution (i.e. water, glycol).The preferred pigmented dispersions are Luconyl or Dispers both of whichare dispersions available from BASF.

The preferred opacifier is Titanium Dioxide (CAS #13463-67-7). Itspercentage of weight to the composition is dependent upon the pigmenteddispersion color desired. The percentage weight for most colors is 15 to25%. However, red requires about 3% to 5% opacifier and about 15%calcium carbonate (CAS #1317-65-3).

The solvent component comprises about 3 to 6% by weight of thecomposition. The preferred solvent is propylene glycol (CAS #57-55-6).Propylene glycol aids in the flow characteristics of the solution.

The coating agent comprises about 0.5 to 4% by weight of thecomposition. Polypropylene glycol (CAS #025322-69-4) is the preferredcoating agent that forms a protective coating over the rest of thecomposition when the composition is applied to a surface.

Water comprises the balance of the composition and preferably about 40to 50% by weight. Greater water concentrations results in a less viscousliquid, which compromises the application capabilities of the fluid tovertical surfaces. Conversely, lesser water concentrations result in amore viscous liquid, which causes application problems of flow through asponge applicator. The composition is routinely applied as a thin film,and the water is allowed to evaporate. The resultant coating afterevaporation is resistant to rain. The composition is readily misciblewith water, and is easily removed from the glass substrate with a handtowel and water or a slightly basic aqueous solution.

The following examples are presented to show the preferred composition.They are not intended to limit the scope or content of the invention ordisclosure.

EXAMPLE 1

(1) about 46% wt. water(2) about 18% wt. pigmented dispersion(3) about 18% wt. titanium dioxide(4) about 12% wt. resin(5) about 5% wt. propylene glycol(6) about 1% wt. polypropylene glycol

EXAMPLE 2

(1) about 43% wt. water(2) about 22% wt. pigmented dispersion(3) about 15% wt. titanium dioxide(4) about 4% wt. resin(5) about 11% wt. propylene glycol(6) about 1% wt. polypropylene glycolThe preferred compositions may be made by simply mixing the ingredients.Preferably, the compositions are made by mixing the components in theorder listed. The components of the mixture are blended at ambienttemperature by stirring to form a homogenous fluid.

1. A method comprising: applying a coating material to a substrate thatis subject to outdoor weather; where the coating material (a) comprisespigment, water, and about 8 to 15% wt. of resin, and (b) once dry, isresistant to rain but removable from the substrate using a wet towel. 2.The method of claim 1, where the substrate is glass.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, where the substrate is plastic.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherethe substrate has an irregular surface.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising: removing the coating material using a wet towel. 6.The method of claim 1, where the resin is an acrylic/latex resin.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, where the coating material includes about 10 to 25%wt. of pigment.
 8. The method of claim 1, where the coating materialincludes about 40 to 50% wt. of water.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherethe coating material further comprises about 3 to 25% wt. of opacifier.10. The method of claim 9, where the opacifier is titanium dioxide. 11.The method of claim 1, where the coating material further comprisesabout 3 to 6% wt. of solvent.
 12. The method of claim 11, where thesolvent is propylene glycol.
 13. The method of claim 1, where thecoating material further comprises about 0.5 to 4% wt. of coating agent.14. The method of claim 13, where the coating agent is polypropyleneglycol.